FRIENDLY FIRE Muirfield Village Golf Club Type: Private BRIEFS Rated by Golf Magazine: 1 9th U.S.; 32nd world Rated by Golf Digest: 16th in the nation Maintenance staff: 9 full-time; 16 seasonal Competition in Columbus No. of Holes: 18 Members: 200 local; 200 national Rounds per year: 20,000 brings out the best in supers Green fee: $ 1 25 Stimpmeter readings: Not applied Height of cut in inches: greens 1/8; tees 1/4; fairways 7/16 Super Mike McBride No. of tee markers: 3 No. of sand bunkers: 70 Architects: J. Nicklaus Metal spikes: Banned & Desmond Muirhead The Golf Club Type: Private Rated by Golf Magazine: 20th U.S.; 34th world Rated by Golf Digest: 28th in the nation Maintenance staff: 7 full-time; 17 seasonal No. of Holes: 18 NEW ENGLANDERS UNITE Members: 150 (+75 non-residents) The New Hampshire Golf Course Rounds per year: under 10,000 Superintendents Association, the Uni- Green fee: $40 Stimpmeter readings: 9.4 versity of New Hampshire Coopera- Height of cut: 9/64-5/32 greens; 3/8 tees; 7/16 fairways tive Extension and the Golf Course Super Keith Kresina Superintendents Association of New No. of tee markers: 4 No. of sand bunkers: 52 for members England have decided to join forces in Metal spikes: Mandatory Architect: Pete Dye hosting the Massachusetts Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show. This new Scioto Country Club conference will be held in January, in Type: Private The 11th hole at Ohio State University's nationally ranked Scarlet Course. Rated by Golf Magazine: 29th U.S.; 48th Boston, Mass., and will combine the in world New Hampshire Turf Conference and Rated by Golf Digest: 36 in nation 6:15 a.m.: At Ohio State Maintenance staff: 6 full-time; 25-30 seasonal the University of Massachusetts Turf No. of Holes: 18 Conference into one large show. University golfers are lining up Members: 325 Rounds per year: 20,000 to tee off at 7. A few miles away Green fee: $60 Stimpmeter readings: 10 JARRELL HONORED IN FLORIDA at Double Eagle, the course will Height of cut: greens 1/8 greens; 3/8 tees; Super Mark Yoder TAMPA, Fla. — Palm Beach Na- host six foursomes today. fairways 7/16 tional Golf and Country Club superin- No. of tee markers: 4 Metal spikes: Banned No. of sand bunkers: 78 Architect: Donald Ross tendent Mark Jarrell was presented By MARK LESLIE the Wreath of Grass Award for out- OLUMBUS, Ohio — Truth be told, you need only Double Eagle Club standing contributions to the turfgrass turn around and you can play another great golf Type: Private Rated by Golf Magazine: 41st U.S.; 74th world industry at the Florida Turfgrass Ccourse in this city. Five of the country's top 100 Rated by Golf Digest: Too young to be ranked Association's courses, according to one poll, operate here. So how do the Maintenance staff: 1 1 full-time; 14 seasonal No. of Holes: 18 (FTGA) confer- superintendents — and their clubs — respond in the face of Members: 47 local; 126 national ence and trade such stiff competition? Thrive or die? Rounds per year: 5,000 show at Tampa "I don't want to sound boastful, but I don't think you can Green fee: N/A Stimpmeter readings: 1 1 Convention Cen- go anywhere in the country and find golf courses as well Height of cut: 1/8 greens; 5/32 tees; 3/8 fairways No. of tee markers: 4 ter. New FTGA conditioned as we have right here," said Mark Yoder, Super Terry Buchen President Gerry superintendent at private Scioto Country Club in the near No. of sand bunkers: 83 Metal spikes: Not banned Architects: Jay Morrish & Millholen over- west end of Columbus. "Frequently, guests come in and say, (free rubber spikes) Tom Weiskopf saw the event at '[They're playing] The Golf Club yesterday, Scioto today, Mark Jarrell which members Muirfield tomorrow, then Double Eagle...' " Ohio State University Scarlet Course Type: Public presented $70,000 to the FTGA for Indeed, Golf Magazine's latest top 100 poll, released in Rated by Golf Magazine: 81st in U.S. turfgrass development. Research do- October, ranks Muirfield Village Golf Club in nearby Dublin Rated by Golf Digest: N/A nations in the state in 1995 have ex- 19th in the United States, The Golf Club in neighboring New Maintenance staff: 5 full-time; 4 seasonal No. of Holes: 36 ceeded $100,000. Albany 20th, Scioto 29th, Double Eagle in the suburb of Members: 1,500 Galena 41st and the public-access Ohio State University Rounds per year: 100,000 (50,000 per course) Scarlet Course a few blocks from Scioto 81st. The five Green fee: $10 students; maximum $25 RUTGERS HONORING ALUMNI Stimpmeter readings: 8-1/2 superintendents are comrades-yet-competitors-in-arms. Height of cut: greens 3/1 6; tees and NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — The fairways 1/2 "We're all proud to be on those ['best-of ] lists," said Terry Super Gary Rasor Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Man- No. of tee markers: 3 Buchen, superintendent at the ultra-exclusive, ultra-condi agement School will hold its sixth an- No. of sand bunkers: 105 Architect: Alister Mac- Continued on next page Metal spikes: Not barred kenzie nual Alumni Awards Banquet on Nov. 4,1995, at the Douglass College Cen- ter on the Rutgers University campus. HEAD OF THE CLASS The banquet will feature certificate awards and scholarship presentations by the Rutgers Professional Turf Man- TPCs take Audubon agement School, the Rutgers Turfgrass Alumni Association, and the challenge to heart New Jersey Turfgrass Assocation and By CHRIS SMITH Turfgrass Foundation. For more in- formation, contact Missy Marciante MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Tournament by telephone at 908-932-9271, or by fax Players Club network has taken an ag- at 908-932-1187. gressive approach toward the Audubon Society of New York's (ASNY) Coopera- tive Sanctuary Program, seeking to rein- OTF SHOW PLANNED force the notion that golf courses can and COLUMBUS, Ohio — Drs. Jim should benefit the environment. Beard and Tom Morgan will keynote The TPC at Southwind here recently the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation (OTF) became the fifth member of the TPC net- Regional Confer- work to receive certification in the strin- ence and Show at gent Sanctuary Program. It closely fol- the Greater Co- lows certification of the TPC at Piper lumbus Conven- Glen in Charlotte, N.C., and TPC at River tion and Visitors Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. TPC at Piper Glen takes special care of its environment, such as the wetlands on this 17th hole. Center here, Dec. "We are the first course in Tennessee 5-8. A retired to be certified, which falls in line with to "truly work diligently over the next more members and homeowners in- Texas A&M professor currently with what we have tried to be for many years several years to actively build wildlife on volved." the International Sports Turf Institute, — leaders in the golf industry," said Gen- the course and make it something spe- "Our superintendent, Stewart Richards, Beard will speak on turfgrass benefits eral Manager John Hugghins, promising cial, unique to this area. We want to get Continued on page 21 and environmental issues. GOLF COURSE NEWS replied: "I think so. The biggest thing besides the individual competition in trying Columbus composite: competition & camaraderie to be the best superintendent you can be, is Continued from previous page that it helps your budget a lot of times. We tioned Double Eagle, whose tees would call and compare budgets. putt faster than many greens around the "Mike has helped me with my wages country. "But there is a competition like and benefits, especially the first couple in any kind of business. Deep down in- years I was here. We can take advantage side, we want to be number one in town, of the competition being so keen and the whether we admit it or not. A lot of mem- golfers playing each course. When they're bers play all the courses, and we're al- talking amongst themselves, we can in- ways hearing comparisons." form them that the other courses have 'There is certainly camaraderie, but this budget or that equipment... It can there's competition as well," agreed Yoder. help you get that other mower you need." "We all motivate each other to do bet- In spite of — and perhaps because of— ter," said Keith Kresina, superintendent their deep pockets, the four private clubs at The Golf Club. "With members who have worries that don't plague Rasor. They play all the courses, you strive for perfec- don't worry about keeping up with the tion because you know they can see it at Joneses. They are the Joneses. But there another course right down the road." are other concerns — mainly, the com- "I've never felt pressure," said Mike parisons. McBride, putting a different spin on it "We're a highly manicured golf course. from his office at Muirfield Village. "It's Everything inside the wall basically is like we're helping each other out. I've manicured," Yoder said. "In 1991 we known Mark forever and Gary [Rasor of A view from behind Muirfield Village's 9th green back down the manicured fairway. regrassed with Pennlinks. It's worked out OSU] for many years. And Keith used to the other courses. Manpower is another factor. Rasor em- real well. A lot of new clubs have good work for Mark and me both." "Budgets," said Yoder, "are whatever ploys five full-timers and four seasonal new pure bentgrass greens, so we felt we Tending the lone public-access course you need.